I have tried the chain letter thing, Amway, real estate schemes, multi-level stocks/insurance business, 900 numbers etc. Spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars trying to get things going. Never really had the initiative to take it the distance it should go to make it work. I am just not the business type.

2-1B

09-19-2002, 12:45 PM

Originally posted by scruffziller
I am just not the business type.

Apparently not, if you've tried these rackets. :D

I have never (and never will) tried this garbage, but I will continue to laugh at people who lose money trying.

A few years ago, some coworkers were involved in a pyramid scheme, imagine my delight when that fell through ! Yeah, its all good until you're the one left holding the bag. :rolleyes:

Actually Amway (which is now known as Quixtar) is actually reputable business to be involved in. You just have to be good with people in order for it to work. Basically, the people who are successful at "legitamate" multi-level marketing (with successful companies such as Amway) are successful people right off the bat anyway. Multi-level marketing is just a vehicle that gives them more time and more money. But they would be successful at anything they did. In the Amway magazine, they would show the people who made it a certain level and the majority of the people were lawyers, doctors, engineers, real estate agents, business owners. etc. It takes alot of money and charisma to invest in making a biz like Amway work and the ones who have it will make it. Ordinary Joes try it, but usually fail because they don't have the money, stamina, or skill so they quit.:dead:

QLD

09-20-2002, 07:10 PM

Amway is nothing but a giant pyramid scam. My brother did it for a while, and tried to seduce me into joining their cult.

He even drew a pyramid when he was explaining how it worked to me. You can make money doing it, but I think most people would be better off with window washing or gumball machine businesses.

The only get reich quick scheme I was involved in, was selling porn to people in Georgia, before stores were allowed to sell it here. I bought them for 8-20 dollars, and sold them for 40-80 dollars. It was quite lucrative, especially when you are already working, and are 19-21. ;)

But it wasn't a scheme really, just a good plan, and I took advantage of the local market.

scruffziller

09-21-2002, 09:45 AM

Amway proved their business to be legal and ethical to the Supreme Court. That is why they are still around today and the other guys aren't (people who tried to model themselves after them). If it was a scam, then they would have been gone years ago. A "pyramid" is nothing more than a stigmatized term that is applied to network marketing. Everything in reality is essentially a pyramid. You go see a cool movie and you will create a pyramid of information of that movie by telling one person then them telling another....etc. etc. The main issue that seperates Amway from the other guys is that you can make more money than the guy above you. If I sponsored some one and he was the only one I sponsor and I did nothing else and he got say..... 5,000 people in his organazation from his efforts, I would be making a hansome profit but not anywhere near what he would be making. The Amway system(which was mistaken for an illegal pyramid) was proven to the Supreme Court (in the 50s I believe)
that the folks at the very top did not control all the profits. It would go something like.....I have 3 sponserees who buy themeselves/sell and earn $60 each, since I am their sponsor I would earn like $10 from each of them equaling $30 for myself. And they each would have $50 appeice. Even though I made money, it wasn't as much as they each did. A "pyramid" scam would be if they earned each $60 appiece and then I would take $50 from each of them equaling $150 for me and only $10 for them. See the difference. The benefit in Amway is the personally sponsoring of people and strength through their trust and personal efforts. So in essense, Amway has never been a pyramid because if you tried to make an actual pyramid out of blocks based on the size of money made, the pyramid would not hold up because it would be uneven throughout. There is so much of a variance through out the oranazation of money being made that it can only say one thing "fairness." The actual "PYRAMID" scams that plaugue the business world are the ones that where you can only make the "MOST" money the closer you are to the top. Which sounds quite a bit more like our actual corperations.... now there is a scam for you!!!:D
Places where people have "jobs" are more close to the "pyramid" thing than Amway ever will be. With Amway (Quixtar as they are known now) you have a chance to gain something more for your own accomplishments.

Originally posted by Quite-Long Dong

But it wasn't a scheme really, just a good plan, and I took advantage of the local market.
Much as our thriving illegal drug market problems.:rolleyes:

QLD

09-21-2002, 10:54 AM

I seriously doubt, anyone could convince me that Amway is a legit business. People would be better off buying things at Wal-Mart and re-selling them to other people. While you CAN make money doing it, it is far from a efficient way to do it. Much like a franchise. Significant portions of your money go to other people. Most of that being what you actually profited. While I don't think what they do is illegal, I do think people that partake are desperate, and seriously gullable and misled.

Hey.....people need porn. I know I do. If you are comparing porn to drugs, that's quite amusing. I see nothing wrong with adults watching what they want to for entertainment. Nobody gets hurt. You don't hear about people being shot in a drive by on a corner where someone was dealing porn. It's a ridiculous comparison, though I do see your point. I find the governments witch hunt against pornography completely ridiculous and downright scary. 90% of Americans watch it in one form or another. 80% lie about watching it, because the government has made them feel embarrassed to enjoy something that comes natural to human beings. I am all for regulating it, and creating zoning laws, but within reason. They need to force the industry to regulate itself, not try to regulate it with government power.

I just went on a tangent, so I probably didn't make much sense. ;)

JEDIpartner

09-21-2002, 03:07 PM

Well... I am buying those Star Wars figures and G.Lu is getting rich quick! Does that count???? :frus:

QLD

09-21-2002, 03:12 PM

Yes, you are certainly a big part of that!

2-1B

09-21-2002, 07:54 PM

What if you do drugs WHILE watching porn ? :confused:

Amway is as much a pyramid as the Mafia. :)
"S**t runs down, money goes up"

scruffziller

09-23-2002, 12:52 PM

Originally posted by Quite-Long Dong
I seriously doubt, anyone could convince me that Amway is a legit business. People would be better off buying things at Wal-Mart and re-selling them to other people. While you CAN make money doing it, it is far from a efficient way to do it. Much like a franchise. Significant portions of your money go to other people. Most of that being what you actually profited. While I don't think what they do is illegal, I do think people that partake are desperate, and seriously gullable and misled.

Hey.....people need porn. I know I do. If you are comparing porn to drugs, that's quite amusing. I see nothing wrong with adults watching what they want to for entertainment. Nobody gets hurt. You don't hear about people being shot in a drive by on a corner where someone was dealing porn. It's a ridiculous comparison, though I do see your point. I find the governments witch hunt against pornography completely ridiculous and downright scary. 90% of Americans watch it in one form or another. 80% lie about watching it, because the government has made them feel embarrassed to enjoy something that comes natural to human beings. I am all for regulating it, and creating zoning laws, but within reason. They need to force the industry to regulate itself, not try to regulate it with government power.

I just went on a tangent, so I probably didn't make much sense. ;)

I wasn't saying that drugs were like porn, but sounded like you were partaking in selling it illegally(the porn) that is what I meant, if that is wrong QLD then I am sorry.

Whether you believe it or not Ceaser Amway/Quixtar as I stated in my previous thread they were thouroughly scrutinized by the Supreme Court. Now if you can prove to me other wise of Amway cooking books then you got a point. But the company has been around for well over a half a century. I can guarantee they are legit and they are multibillion dollar, world wide corperation. The business the way it works is that you dedicate your lifestyle of a consumer to buying things through your business. Amway/Quixtar has sponsord many, many, many different companies in which a member will buy things through them, not just their soap products. In fact that is such a small percentage now it is not even funny. Basically you can buy ANYTHING through the organization. Some company examples are Pepsi Co., Omaha Steks, Hy G etc. You basically have your disposal to a WALMART HYPERMART, Sam's Club, and Mall all at once. I heard you can even buy cars and boats as well. I can't think of a whole lot right now since I am not with them anymore. You must understand what it is all about before you can put a final judgement on it. Yes most people are better off doing what you suggested but they never know until they try. Alot of folks who are very successful in the biz seemed to be that way when they started but are sure glad they didn't turn down the opportunity. But the thing is, is that it is a business of people, not overhead. From alot of people I met in the biz who were "conventional" business owners said that this business was so much more better for them because they didn't have the overhead. When you buy things through the organazation that provides points that it is recognized to how much money you will make, the people above you make, and the people below you make.
You basically do not need to buy things to go out and sell but you provide a network of people who are "their OWN best customers."
Because you can rack up lots of points by buying everything that you would get at the grocery store and the department store though your biz. But the one statement that can sum it all up that PROVES that this biz is legit. Saying to the person that you would sponsor (be beneath you). I DO NOT MAKE MONEY, UNTIL YOU MAKE MONEY . And for that fact, you know the person that is above you is going to do all they can to help you to reach that goal because of that fact. MY BUSINESS, IS YOUR BUSINESS. It isn't just, I'll sign you up and you are on your own. That would self destructive. Which sadly does happen. But it isn't Amway the company's fault, but the people who are doing the business who basically have come to the conclusion that it is not for them. To say that it is a scam because someone gives up on doing it for whatever reason is a very uneducated assessment.

Looking back on the Amway experience, I figured out that my "sponsor" really tried pushing me hard to do things and to spend my money into the biz when I made squat. He was going to help me succeed. But if I didn't succeed, it was no skin off his back because it wasn't his money that was being spent. So he milked it for all it was worth. I haven't seen that guy for the longest time but he still lives here in town at the same place. I have seen his wife around more than I have seen him since I bailed out. I heard last that he wasn't really doing it anymore.

Tonysmo

05-02-2004, 01:13 AM

Quite a few years ago, a buddy introduced me to the evil known as Ebay..

and while I know the topic of Ebay is taboo to some, it is indeed like the Jedi archives.. if it isnt on Ebay, it doesnt exist..

After looking around and of course purchasing many things off Ebay I started to notice something that perked my interest,,. unreal is it may sound.. people were selling.. Information. WHAT?!

now Im sure you've all seen the tidbits of info avalible for sale now, but back then... there wasnt the same amount,. and there are still bits of info thats not out there that could be.

so I thought, heck, I know stuff.. how can I market what I know?
How can I utilize whats already being offered? ( at the time alot of - free software auctions were running.. )

I know how to get this free software.. hmm.. but posting an auction telling people where to go is wrong.. but hey - whatta bout the people who know where to go - but dont know what to do once they get there.. yeah, thats the ticket.

soooo.. I had my buddy put together a nice CD ( nice lil HTML popup with links n directories n such ) describing to customers how to subscribe to the newsgroups, what the best services are, the terms they use, and the programs needed - freeware such as winrar n stuff.. how to put it all together to download whatever your little heart desires..

in a nutshell, it was information on newsgroups, how to download stuff from the newsgroups, and how to put it together correctly.

It did quite well. at $20 bucks a pop I probably sold close to 500 copies. ( over a span of 2 years ) that money of course split between the two of us. and only a few complaints from people telling me the info was useless to them ( most likely because they already knew how to do the stuff, and the info was geared towards folks who had no clue )

anyhow - to sweeten the deal I started shipping the cds from my work ( insert Im an f'n moron here ) as to save on shipping. . I eventually lost my job over it. meh, it happens.. I hated WCOM anyhow. besides - two wonderful things happened.. I actually was one of the few lucky ones to cash out stock from that forsaken company, and all things happen for a reason.. Im in a much better place now. and yeah, I learned not to ship stuff out at work - unless I spring for the postage. ( people around me thought I had a small buisness being run out of that company - ehehe )

so thats my story..

Dr Zoltar

05-03-2004, 06:09 PM

The only get reich quick scheme I was involved in, was selling porn to people in Georgia, before stores were allowed to sell it here. I bought them for 8-20 dollars, and sold them for 40-80 dollars. It was quite lucrative, especially when you are already working, and are 19-21. ;)
Huh? This is new to me. I've lived my entire adult life on the west coast where porn was readily available. What dark times Georgia must have been in...

kool-aid killer

05-03-2004, 08:49 PM

Back in the day, i used to slang Kool-Aid on the block, 25 cents a cup (little cups too) i was able to flip it in one day. Top that suckas!!! The rest i drank. Aside from that ive made no other attempts to make some extra money.

Deoxyribonucleic

05-04-2004, 02:15 AM

My get rich quick scheme that I participated in:

got scholarship/financial aid, went to school, got some degrees, got a job.

:crazed: :crazed:

JON9000

05-10-2004, 02:24 PM

Amway folks tend to alienate me because they do not seem to be able to maintain friendships without being able to resist the urge to exploit them to expand their business. My mom is friends with one half of a couple who make their living selling that stuff. She said an association they are both involved in was considering asking her friend to not come back, because she was constantly trying to push Amway, making them feel more like commodities than friends.

Whether Amway (or Confederated Products, or whatever it calls itself) is truly as bad as all that is open to question, I think, but I cannot believe that something that has such a bad reputation did nothing to deserve it. :confused:

dr_evazan22

05-10-2004, 03:01 PM

I bought a Powerball ticket.

(didn't win)

The 'Xir

05-11-2004, 01:35 AM

Scruffziller?!!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! It sounds to me like you still are in the business, man they put a brain wash on you somthin' fierce! Amway is totally illegall, was proven to be and broken apart by the FBI and US Government! The power at the top of Amway(and the only ones, who were making money) scrambled to save themselves, and opened up a similar style company now called Quixtar, and now Quixstar just got busted by Dateline NBC and is under the same federal scrutiny that Amway came under! It's all a scam dude...READ ON! (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4375477/)

For real!!! these things, all of them, are all scams, and anyone thinking of joining DON'T!!! Any of them! Amway(which I'm not sure if they exist anymore) Quixtar, SMC, Market America, there was another that I don't remember the name for but they tried selling this Idea called an ATTM card(same bull ****)! No joke I went to alot of these meetings(for each of these so called companies) and learned my lessons and/or saw through the bull ****!
Recently my roomate got pulled into the whole scam for Quixtar 'cause a buddy that he worked with got him involved and I tried to warn them both for the past month, month and 1/2! Thank god the DATELINE investigation came out when it did and they are now both out of it! I even attended this other promotional meeting for the 'National Grants Conferences', and I'm starting to raise an eyebrow at that as well, because the meetings are done VERY similar to the scammers above! They show you how you can get approved for Govt grants/loans, and you would think they'd be legit(working suppossedley so close with the govt), but I'm starting to think they might be just as much bull as the rest of 'em
So once again anyone thinking of joining read the above article, and then go get a real job, or better yet! Start your own company like I did! Like with anything, or no matter what you want to do in life you gotta work hard at it to make it successful and if you start your own company...1) you know how legit it is. 2)You make it as successful as you want it to be(how hard you work) and 3) from the begining you start out as the guy on top, so there's no pyramids to climb and really will make all the money! It's just that for the first 5-10 years ya gotta pay all the bills too! ;) Hey but your still ontop!!! ;)

I guess all I'm saying is be careful what get rich scemes you get involved with, be smart about it, approach them seriously as if you are opening your own business, and ask serious professional questions to acertain their legitimacy and what is really expected of you going into them! And the best advice which everyone already knows of but it is so true is that... if it sounds to good to be true, NOT probably, it IS too good to be true! SO DON'T

scruffziller

05-11-2004, 07:17 AM

Scruffziller?!!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! It sounds to me like you still are in the business, man they put a brain wash on you somthin' fierce! Amway is totally illegall, was proven to be and broken apart by the FBI and US Government! The power at the top of Amway(and the only ones, who were making money) scrambled to save themselves, and opened up a similar style company now called Quixtar, and now Quixstar just got busted by Dateline NBC and is under the same federal scrutiny that Amway came under! It's all a scam dude...READ ON! (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4375477/)

I have not been a member since 1997. Since they have been around since the 50s I am suprised that the feds didn't get to them sooner if there is something wrong with their structure. That article didn't really tell me anything significant.
I tried to download those other articles but couldn't get them to work. If you can get them and post them here it would be appreciated. If they are illegal, it would be pretty funny. Because, like I said; looking back on it now, I got tired of being pushed by my sponsor. If you could post something that tells the technical side of how they were illegal that would help. Because when I was in, it didn't seem to me to be illegal in any way except that they made you believe unrealistic goals. I would like to know the honest truth by knowing why it is the truth. I want the facts.

scruffziller

03-31-2008, 05:44 PM

Looking this old thread up again. Looks like Amway is still going strong.
http://www.quixtar.com/

bobafrett

03-31-2008, 05:49 PM

My son's mom was sent these little airplane models to assemble, and for each one she assembled she was supposed to earn money, yet she had to send in money to get more airplane kits. I told her she was just making someone else rich. She actually listened, and stopped after building her first model. They were small and required glue to hold them together.